I7 920 Rig needs OC

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Nick p

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May 21, 2013
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Hello!
I have the following Build and i need some advice:

Motherboard: Gigabyte X58 UD4
CPU:i7 920 (stock Heatsink)
RAM: Kingston 1x8GB 1600MHz RED HyperX
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 660 2GB OC Edition
SSD: Samsung EVO 120GB
HDD: WD RED 1TB
PSU: CoolerMaster 650W Toughpower (Not modular)
Case: Thermaltake V9



Now, I was about to upgrade mobo-cpu to socket 1150 with i7 4770K or 4790K but then i said why not OC my build first and see if that is enough for me?
My problem is, what Coolers should i run?
-Noctua or something similar for Airflow with a better pc Case?
-Corsair H80i?H105?
anything else?

Shall i OC only CPU or CPU+RAM+ GPU?
and if i OC all, will i need more than just a CPU cooler?
In general i would like your advice on how to improve my system without upgrading to a new socket at least till the X99 come out and i see some prices...

thank you in advance!
Nick.
 
Solution
sportsfanboy
I have an overclocked CO stepping 920... I'll tell through extensive reading and testing that 3.8 is about the sweet spot for a CO 920. At that speed IMO, you don't really need an upgrade.

At 3.8 with an old but still pretty decent performing 212+, I'm getting about 70c in a warm room(around 77f degrees last time I ran prime), and well under 70c in normal comfortable ambients. Which is is plenty cool, even with a better heatsink, you'll be limited by the CO's overclocking ability, unless you want to run an extra .2 volts for 300 to 400mhz.

honestly with a proper running overclocked 17 920 system like yours, the 660 graphics is your Achilles heal. I personally would overclock to around 3.8, and spend the money on a hyper evo cooler and...
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legend001523

legend001523

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Jun 3, 2014
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You can oc the gpu for better fps, maybe 1-10more fps, I don't think you need to oc your new cpu since both of the choices are quite strong anyway without oc, I'd say get the 4790k, get a noctua dh n15 if you want to reach the max of the cpu oc, but if you want minor oc'ing, a cooler master hyper evo 212 will do fine too
 
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Nick p

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May 21, 2013
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I dont think you did understand my question :)
I am about to keep the 920 at the moment and overclock that!
When X99 comes out then i will look for an upgrade!
 
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Nick p

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May 21, 2013
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you are talking for latest i7s.
1st gen i7s like 920 didnt come out with K
and i7 920 can go up to 4Ghz OC stable with proper cooling.
The socket is 1366 ;) Dont get confused.
My i7 is also C0 stepping.
 
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budy86

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Jan 15, 2012
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I used to have a i7 920 DO i got it to 4GHz stable whilst running a H100i. my temps while running prime were no higher than 91 degrees celcius.
my ram was vengeance 1600 i think by memory. while gaming my temps were only in the 50's maybe 60's
 
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Vexillarius

Vexillarius

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Aug 23, 2014
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Even non-K CPUs can overclock, just not by using the multiplier. You can still adjust the FSB.

As for the question, Noctua is always good, the H100i etc. will also work fine. I can also recommend the Swiftech H220X if you want some seriously good cooling without going for a custom loop. It's about $150 though I think.
 
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ncmike

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Jan 5, 2010
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Some of the responses to your original post were comical (I was just browsing some old posts and came across this one - maybe I can be of experienced help here). Don't bother OCing the GPU or memory - these really don't buy you anything other than trouble unless you are a gamer, then just get a more current GPU.

The i7-920 was one of the best overclocking processors ever and remains so. As was mentioned already, the 'K' designation for Intel CPUs wasn't even in existence when these Bloomfield class CPUs came out. Although my current beast is an i7-3930 OCed to 4.6GHz, my i7-920 is still running strong as a media server running at a 4.0Ghz clock for years - it still outperforms newer CPUs when overclocked properly.

Here are my i920 overclocking specs as a reference point - YMMV. With an H100 cooler the temp never exceed 75c running the most stressful Prime95 blended tests for 24 hours and never fails under use under heavy loads.

CPU: i7-920 (D0 stepping) Socket 1366 X58 Chip Set
Cooler H100
Memory: 24GB 1600Mhz Corsair Vengence
Motherboard: Asus P6T
Overclock Mode: XMP
eXtreme Memory Profile: Profile #1 1600MHz
CPU Ratio: Auto
SpeedStep: Enabled (set AFTER stress testing)
Turbo Mode: Disabled (enabling turbo mode with a 4.0GHz OC will make it unstable)
Base Clock: 200 (yes, you DO best overclock the i7-920 by upping the BCLK)
PCIE: 100
DRAM Frequency: DDR3-1603MHz
UCLK Frequency: 3208MHz (always double the DRAM Frequency)
QPILink Data Rate: Auto

The following DRAM timings should be set automatically as a result of selecting XMP OC mode):

DRAM CAS # latency: 8
DRAM Delay: 8
DRAM Pretime: 8
DRAM ACT: 24
DRAM Cycle: 88

CPU Voltage: 1.28125
CPU PLL Voltage: Auto
QPI/DRAM Core Voltage: 1.3
IOH Voltage: Auto
IOH PCI Voltage: Auto
ICH Voltage: Auto
ICH PCIE Voltage: Auto
DRAM Bus Voltage: 1.62
Load Line Calibration: Enabled (adds stability)
CPU Differential Amp: Auto
CPU Clock Skew: Auto
CPU Spread Spectrum: Auto
IOH Clock Skew: Auto
PCIE Spread Spectrum: Disabled

Ironically you can get an i7-920 CU for $40 on eBay and also 1366 MOB for a song outperform many late model CPU/Bulds. My 4.0GHz i7-920 is still a beast of a quad-core build.

Regards,
Mike
 
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CptBarbossa

CptBarbossa

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Jan 10, 2014
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I know its not considered the highest performing air cooler, but the coolermaster hyper t4 has been a bulletproof choice for me. I have NEVER run into a thermal limit with that thing with my overclocks. In fact, I don't think I have hit anything above 45c. I have a corsair h80i collecting dust in the corner because it cannot compete with the t4. Just my 2 cents. Oh, and you can't beat the price!
 
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sportsfanboy

sportsfanboy

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Mar 16, 2008
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I have an overclocked CO stepping 920... I'll tell through extensive reading and testing that 3.8 is about the sweet spot for a CO 920. At that speed IMO, you don't really need an upgrade.

At 3.8 with an old but still pretty decent performing 212+, I'm getting about 70c in a warm room(around 77f degrees last time I ran prime), and well under 70c in normal comfortable ambients. Which is is plenty cool, even with a better heatsink, you'll be limited by the CO's overclocking ability, unless you want to run an extra .2 volts for 300 to 400mhz.

honestly with a proper running overclocked 17 920 system like yours, the 660 graphics is your Achilles heal. I personally would overclock to around 3.8, and spend the money on a hyper evo cooler and a newer more powerful video card.
 
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Solution
4

4ktv

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Feb 10, 2011
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So the h100i will fit and work well with the i7-920 and do around 4ghz. Maybe I should shoot for that then, because dropping money on a new CPU+MB feels like it would be kind of stupid if the clocks can go over 3.5ghz.

I feared overclocking though when I got it due to how hot it can get 80C+ under load and also I read that it's more deeply tied in with the ram in someway that if you mess up on overclocking it, you can fry both your CPU and the RAM.

Looks like I need to rethink my i7 5820k build idea. Maybe just overclock with new cooler/thermal paste and stick a R9 290x in it and be done. Thanks for the tip, even though I am not the OP.
 
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